


The Takedown

by Xenamorph



Series: Bad News Trilogy [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Dragon Miraculous, F/F, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Identity Reveal, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending, Minor Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Miraculous Side Effects, Mouse Miraculous, Near Future, New Miraculous Holders, Ox Miraculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26470450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenamorph/pseuds/Xenamorph
Summary: A year after leaving behind her old class, Ladybug (along with her new team) is ready to finally free Paris from Papillon's reign.
Relationships: Aurore Beauréal/Mireille Caquet, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi
Series: Bad News Trilogy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922302
Comments: 9
Kudos: 195





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is becoming a trilogy just because I don't want to have the Post-takedown stuff be kept to just one chapter.
> 
> Also. Were y'all gonna tell me I've been spelling Papillon wrong this entire time? I've been adding an extra i in there this whole time. No one said anything.

A year later, a full year of Marinette being in Mendeleiev's class. A full year of her and Kagami becoming friends (and then more, but that wasn't yet a full year). A full year of reconsidering her allies and her enemies and just who stood on which side.

Alya had become an enemy and then a friend, which was relieving to Marinette. It just was strange to not be able to text the girl about the latest akuma attack, or have someone over in case she needed more than just her girlfriend's opinions on her outfits. Kagami never really hesitated on giving criticism, but sometimes she needed someone's opinion who didn't have a mindset of fancy galas and being the best of the best. She wasn't Rena Rouge, it was too dangerous for her and she had told Ladybug that she didn't want the fox miraculous if she couldn't be Rena Rogue.

Adrien had become a friend and then an enemy and now was situated in a strange grey area. Marinette had some pity for him, with a father like his (with all that she had uncovered), it would be cruel to not take that into account. It didn't change anything though, it didn't change the isolation or the bullying or the pressure or the lack of help. If this all ended tonight, Marinette would glad to part ways with Adrien on a completely neutral standpoint. Letting him improve and be a better person, but without an expectations to welcome him back into her friend group.

The rest of her class had shown their true colors again, and even though Marinette had hoped that maybe after Chloe they had learned their lesson, they didn't. All enemies, all something that Marinette had to let go. Sad, and it was hard to recover from, but she did. One day at a time, she recovered until she could barely remember the little details about them all that she had been so meticulous about keeping. All for being the best class president (Lila was still president, though she was nothing like Marinette). Carapace was permanently retired.

Chloe was in the same sort of grey area that Adrien was, not a friend but not an enemy. She had gone with her mother to New York, going to therapy and something with the word remedial with it. Marinette didn't remember, and didn't care to. Chloe was getting help, getting therapy, and that was great for her. Didn't change the years of bullying and torment, but it allowed Marinette to feel some sort of closure. Queen Bee wasn't making a return.

Her team had been carved apart. No Chat Noir, no Rena Rouge, no Carapace, no Queen Bee, no Pegasus, No Roi Singe. But it had also been put back together. There was Kuro Kishi, there was Weather Vane (Aurore holding the dragon), there was Harvest (Mireille with the Mouse), and Materdorable (Alya got a kick out of wearing the Ox). They weren't needed for battles, not as she slowly unlocked more and more powers and Kagami got more and more comfortable with the ring.

But they were needed for this final night, and she knew that in advance. So she handed out the miraculous and spent three nights every week training them to better fight, to better use their powers and know when not to use their powers, to better move around in their various costumes. It was slow, but it was working out well enough. They knew how to fight as a team, better than she had ever hoped for such a short amount of time.

And it all culminated tonight. Marinette frowned at the map on her wall, at the location circled several times over (she had used so many methods, the earthquake method, the tracking method, the hints and clues and vocal hints from all of Papillon's appearances). The result wasn't a surprise, not after all of the evidence she had, but it was still disappointed. Circled on the map was the Agreste Manor.

"And we're sure about this?" Marinette asked for the fifth time that night, even though it had been her research that drew them to this conclusion. She paced in front of Kagami, who was laying on her chaise and glaring at the map. Turning on her heel, she made another lap as she ran her hands through her hair. It had gotten longer, Marinette allowing it to grow out to the point that it reached her mid back, "Like, if we go up there and say 'hey we think you're a terrorist' what if we're wrong!"

"Mari-hime," Kagami's voice was patient and a little bored, but Marinette knew why. The fencer wanted to go, but she knew better than to run off and leave Marinette in such a state, "We've quadruple checked every single line of reasoning that led us to this conclusion. It's time, dearest, it's time to finally complete the box." Kagami had also been informed of Marinette's duties as a guardian, and she barely blinked before declaring that she would accompany Marinette wherever her duties took her.

Marinette let a slow breath leave her lips as she nodded, "Okay, I think we should call the team first right? I'll bring the map with me and we can all meet up." She began to take down the map, rolling it up and tying it with a ribbon. "Earrings, map, proof, rest of the gang isn't here yet but I have the Ox and Mouse and Dragon, wha-a-at am I missing?"

"Horse miraculous, you can wear it or I can, but we should have a subtle way of getting through all of those security measures that the Agreste mansion," Kagami moved to press a kiss to Marinette's temple, pausing by the lotus miraculous box.

"You have them, I don't think I can handle all of this energy, and the entire team and also what we're about do as well as handling multiple miraculous-"

"Then I'll wear them," Kagami said, patient and loving as she slipped the glasses onto her face. They changed into Ray bands, dark and reflective like her mothers, and Kagami grinned at her, "Now, we have a Butterfly man to take down, and friends to recruit."

"Tikki, Spots on!" She shouted out, the magic wrapping around her as she picked up the map. Her wings spread out as she moved to the ceiling, "I'll get Mireille and Alya since they live close by, you can get Aurore right?" While she spoke, she handed the Dragon Choker over to Kagami.

"Absolutely, don't worry," Kagami (now Dākuhōsu) grinned up at her as she climbed up with her. "We should meet at the Eiffel Tower, it's the most iconic landmark and easiest place to see from both of our locations."

"Good idea," Ladybug gave her a gentle kiss before splaying her wings again and leaping in the direction of her two targets. First, she came to Alya window, perching on the sill as she knocked on the window.

Alya was in her pajamas, yawning slightly as she opened the window, "Ladybug? But you said we didn't have training today?" her words were almost entirely interrupted by her yawning.

Ladybug had to fight back a yawn of her own, "That's right because tonight isn't training. Kuro Kishi and I have figured out his identity, and it's an all hands on deck situation." She breathed out steadily as she drew out a familiar lotus box. Since the miraculous box itself had changed, Marinette had long decided to change the design of the individual boxes of the miraculous. Now they were shaped like smaller lotus blossoms, with a bit of a puzzle box nature to open them.

Alya's eyes went wide, and she quickly began to solve the puzzle box (Ladybug realized that time was short so she started to solve the mouse box), "Really? We're going after him tonight, like tonight tonight?" Drawing out the nose ring, she clipped it in and Stompp appeared and perched on her shoulder.

"Tonight tonight, Alya, it's time for us to finally let Paris be free from his wrath."

"Couldn't've said it better myself! Stompp, Charge Ahead!" Blue magic swirled around Alya, transforming her into an Ox themed hero. She had chosen the name Matadorable, wanting to go for something cuter and more obviously friendly to the public since she would have to be a more public figure (Rena's powers worked best in the shadows after all). So she combined the word Matador with the word adorable. Her outfit was a simple bullfighting one, a short bolero jacket with spiraling designs across it, a whip attached to the belt at her waist as well as simple white pants that were tucked into cowboy boots. The mask was a simple domino mask, with two horn like piece framing her jawline. Matadorable had also gotten the aspects of her kwami quicker than any of the rest of them, and she had bull horns jutting out from the sides of her head.

"I have to pick up Harvest, you head along to the Eiffel Tower where the rest of us will meet you when we're ready." The two heroines exchanged nods before taking off in opposite directions. Soon enough Ladybug was perched on Mireille's flower box and trying very hard not to crush her azaleas (Mireille had just been gushing about finally getting them to bloom) with the pendent necklace in her hand.

"Ladybug?" Mireille was still up, even though it was almost two am (she found it could be easier of Gabriel was unconscious while they broke in and stole from him), and she moved to open the window, "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting to be called upon. Is there an akuma?" Harvest was the most often called upon, after all it would make conversing without letting the akuma know the plan much easier.

"There isn't an akuma, if all goes according to plan tonight, there won't be another akuma ever again," At least in Paris. Ladybug let the pendant necklace hang from her finger as she held it out to Mireille, "This is the miraculous of the mouse, you know the risks, you know the rewards, and you know the powers. Do you accept this burden and this power?"

"I do." Mireille's soft voice was almost reverent as she slipped the necklace around her neck, "Mullo, get squeaky!" She called out, letting the pale pink magic wrap around her until she became Harvest. She had chosen the name to honor the plural of mice (a harvest of mice) considering how often she was split up into her smaller versions. Mireille's hair was drawn back with two strands of her hair keeping the rest of her bob out of her face. Where Multimouse had hair buns working as mouse ears, Mireille just had the ears themselves. Though they weren't real, Ladybug could see the little clips like on Chat's old costume, they still twitched with noise. Ladybug was rather proud of how none of her new heroes had the same boring onesie as each other.

Instead, Mireille was wearing a sporty tracksuit, the jump rope wrapped around her waist and loosely looped around itself to work as a belt. Her outfit was light brown and grey, like a field mouse or a field of wheat, her mask was a more square version of the classic domino mask. Vague lines that mimic flowing grain stalks that made focusing on her face even harder than it is with the magic of the mask. Harvest climbed up onto the sill with her, "Well, if it's tonight, then it's tonight. I'm guessing that the rest of team is going to be joining us?"

"They're waiting for us at the Eiffel Tower," Ladybug nodded, waiting until Harvest had readied her jump rope to start to fly towards the tower. The trip was enjoyably short, watching the glittering lights of the city passing underneath her and it was a good reminder of why she was doing this. Why she was up so late and had gone so long without sleep: her city. The city that she promised to protect when she kept her miraculous when Stoneheart appeared. All the times that she had gotten beaten down and gotten back up, it was because this city was depending on her to. Well, it was depending on her, and now her team. It was relieving, having other people around her to make sure that she didn't have to bear the weight of the world. As Kagami had said so many times, she isn't Atlas, she can share the burden.

"Ladybug, I've finished briefing Matadorable and Weather Vane on the proof that we have and the plan," Dākuhōsu moved out of the shadow, giving a slight head tilt towards Harvest, "But considering how fast you arrived, I'll allow you to cover all of it succinctly."

She nodded at her, a grim smile on her face, "We've figured out that Papillon's identity is Gabriel Agreste. Using tracking of the akumas, triangulation of the area of affect and where the most common akumas are in the city. As well as recordings of confirmed Papillon sightings, such as Heroes Day and when he appeared after defeating Stoneheart. He fits all the criteria, it works too well, and we can no longer deny the facts. Tonight, Dākuhōsu is going to portal us into the house using the horse miraculous. Once she drops that transformation, she still has Kuro Kishi on so her identity will remain safe." Ladybug took a steadying breath, "And then, we will find Gabriel Agreste and we will strip him of his miraculous."

"What about Mayura?" Weather Vane spoke up. It was strange to see someone else wearing the Dragon miraculous that wasn't her girlfriend, but it fit Aurore in a strange way. Both girls were forces of nature in their own rights, even though they were incredibly different. Which was best shown in their outfits. Kagami went for a warrior, someone who could fight even without using any of her powers. But you couldn't separate Weather Vane from the elements that she harnessed. Not with the flowing dress, the same style of the one that she wore in her daily life, the knee high boots and how her hair was constantly flowing in a breeze that no one else could feel. Jutting off of her mask were lightning bolts that descended on the bottom and ascended on the top. Her eyes were also different, solid electric blue with a lightning bolt shaped pupil.

"We suspect that Mayura is his assistant, Nathalie Sancour. Considering her height, build, and connection to Gabriel Agreste," Ladybug tried to ignore the little gasp that Matadorable gave, even though she knew why. If tonight went according to plan, Adrien would be left completely drifting. Maybe his aunt would take him in, but after meeting his cousin, Ladybug wasn't sure that she wanted him to be in a house that could make Felix.

Weather Vane's eyes darkened, but she nodded her hand, "I understand, I think we better get on our way though. We don't know what emotions might be flying tonight, we don't want to risk Gabriel waking up."

"Which is one of the reasons that we're attacking so late, we theorize that he'll wear the miraculous to sleep considering how night akumas are so common," Still, Ladybug nodded at Dākuhōsu.

She nodded her head, a faint grin on her lips as she called out, "Voyage!" A smokey portal opened up, and beyond the shadow the foyer of the Agreste mansion was seen, "After you, Ladybug."

Ladybug took a steadying breath, shoulders rising and falling as she stepped into the mansion. It was silent, almost unnervingly so, especially as the footsteps of her team echoed in the halls, "Now, secrecy is of the utmost importance. We are not here to battle, we are here to recover the miraculous." It was easier for her to do, as she floated up using her wings. The soft fluttering of her insect wings was normal enough to be excused as normal night noises.

"Dismount," Kuro Kishi's second transformation dropped and she was back into her normal garb. She was always quieter on her feet when she was just holding the cat (or really in her daily life, the amount of times that Kagami had surprised her) , and she nodded at Ladybug. Slowly, the four began to walk up the long staircase. As silently as possible, even if it meant that they had to carefully make sure that none of their shoes clacked against the bare marble.

They had just made it to the landing when they heard voices. Or at least one voice talking to himself. The words were indistinct, but Harvest whispered out, "Multiply!" As she made one jump of her jump rope and landed silently. Her track suit sweat pants glowed and she started to split apart. Growing just a little bit smaller as a Mini-Harvest slipped into the cracked open door. Large-Harvest's eyes went wide and she whispered out, "It's Gabriel, he's standing in front of the portrait of his wife and he's talking to himself-" She sucked in a short breath- "He just opened up a door in the portrait and went into it."

Ladybug did her best to not curse (she had appearances to keep up after all!), but she did bite down savagely on her bottom lip, "Did the door close?"

"No, it's still open but he's gone," Harvest's eyes had gained that slightly fogged over look that meant she was piloting her mini-self, "It's staying open, we should follow."

Kuro Kishi nodded her head, "Send your mini-self in ahead of us, I'll carry you on my back so you don't have to split your vision." And just like she said, she lifted Harvest onto her back and looped her legs around her waist.

"Alright, it's a hallway, long and barely lit. There's a fork in the path, noises coming from the right," Her voice was quiet as a mouse (hah, so funny) as the group slowly started to move inside. Just like she said, the portrait of Emilie Agreste had slid out of the way to reveal a hallway.

Easily, they slipped into an easy lineup. Ladybug taking the lead with her yo yo out in her hands and ready to attack, Kuro Kishi behind her (ever the constant guard) and Harvest on her back, Matadorable behind them (ready to move to the side and charge ahead), and Weather Vane taking up the back (ready in case they get ambushed by Mayura). They did come to the fork in the road that Harvest told them, but the hallways leading off were different.

The left only had a few paces in between the hallway and the room, and through the open door they could see that Ladybug's hypothesis was right. There was a butterfly bush, hundreds if not thousands of pure white butterflies fluttering around the dimly lit room. A large circular window taking up the entire left wall and she felt like jumping into the room and shattering the stupidly extravagant window.

But she couldn't, her attention was set on the right hallway. Long and lit only by intermittent torches, Harvest pointed down the hall, "I'm in there." Her eyes blinked back to their normal state and she tapped Kuro Kishi's shoulder to get herself let down. Her footsteps were light and quick as she almost sprinted down the hallway. The rest of the group barely had time to exchange a glance between them as they all had to follow after the Mouse hero.

Skidding to a stop, Ladybug's eyes went wide at the sight of the room. Yes, there were butterflies and butterfly bushes, but there was something so much more important in the room. In the center of the room, surrounded by flowers and bushes and lovely little things, was a coffin. Well, not exactly a coffin, it was more like something out of a science fiction movie. A tube, life supporting (Ladybug could see the tubes and the machinery and she knew that it was keeping someone alive). That someone was definitely Adrien's mother, they looked too much alike for it to be anything but.

"This- this isn't possible," Matadorable's voice was almost broken, and Ladybug realized that even though she had never looked twice at Adrien after taking his ring, she was still his friend. "She's-She's dead!"

"No, she isn't. Not quite," A voice came from the side, and in that same instant, they were all ready for battle.


	2. Chapter 2

Gabriel wasn't even transformed when they turned around, he was just standing with his cane and his stupid striped pants, "She is why I need your miraculous, Ladybug and Kuro Kishi. I need them to make the wish to bring her back to life." He slowly paced towards the group, back straight and head held high like he had any sort of moral high ground, "I have a son, you know, doesn't he deserve to have his mother back in his life?"

Behind Ladybug, she heard Matadorable take a sharp intake of breath, "Maybe you should parent him!" It was a little revealing, but Ladybug figured that there were enough people in Adrien's classes. Also, secret identities were about to become partially meaningless if they took back the miraculous. No danger of akumatization means they could be less uptight about it. "Single fathers are in, y'know, if only you'd actually parent him!"

Gabriel's face flushed an angry red and he slammed his cane down on the ground, "Don't you dare try to tell me how to parent my son! You have no idea what it's like losing a wife!"

"I do, well. Not a wife but my mom died when I was younger," Harvest's voice was soft as she rocked on her heels, her mini-self running around (considering how her timer wasn't even ticking down). "My dad didn't become a supervillain, he just focused on me and making sure that I was okay. Did you do that with your son? Or did you immediately jump to becoming a supervillain?" Her head tilted a little bit, soft voice echoing in the room as her ear twitched.

He had nothing to say to that apparently, his grip going white knuckled on the top of his cane as he glared at her, "My wife got sick because of the broken miraculous she used, we found them in Tibet and the book promised me that I could bring her back with the earrings of the ladybug and the ring of the black cat!"

"Why didn't you say anything!" Ladybug yelled, for once letting go of her perfect mask as she stomped her foot down on the ground hard enough to crack the marble stone, "You just had to become a villain, didn't you? You couldn't ever try to search out the miraculous but instead you decided to try to destroy a city without any reassurance that your son- the one that you're apparently doing all of this for- would be safe!" Puzzle pieces were slowly falling into place and she looked from Emilie's coffin. Broken miraculous, the failed amoks, the fact that they haven't seen Mayura around lately. "The peacock was broken...but you still let Nathalie Sancour use it!"

"She knew the risks, she volunteered for it, I didn't force her into it," Gabriel (Papillon, the same man who had tried to kill her over and over again was also the man that she had looked up to for almost her entire designing life) rebutted, eyes narrowed in rage as he gestured at the coffin with his cane, "We both wanted her back, and we were willing to do anything to accomplish that."

Ladybug tilted her head, glittering insect eyes shining under the fluorescent lights. She could see her next moves laid out in front of her like a chess board, every move could put her and her team at risk. Every move had consequences, but some were more risky than others. Every move could leave her open for an attack, or leave Gabriel open for a checkmate. "Adrien was Chat Noir."

There were gasps of shock, from her team and from Gabriel. He also went pale, stumbling back a step away from her, "What?"

"Your son, the one that you say you were doing all of this for, was the same one that you were fighting for years. The same one you put in danger over and over again, and the same one that you ignored so much that he had the chance to become a superhero right under your nose." She took a step forward, noting how Gabriel's stance was a little too shaky for him to have his pride, "You said that he deserved a mother, but you never thought to give him a father." There was some rage, albeit controlled, in her voice as she continued to approach him.

Sure, Adrien hurt her, hurt her bad. Betrayed her and left her along and didn't let her have the room that she needed to breath or the support that he was supposed to provide as her cat. But Gabriel was the root of most of those problems. Ignoring his own son, treating his own son like a caged bird, isolating his own son, overworking his own son. Every crime that he committed even before becoming Papillon was another harsh stomp towards him.

Ladybug knew that her eyes were intimidating, black and fathomless and glittering (Kagami likened them to onyx when she was feeling particularly poetic), and she could feel the ribbon around her bun rising up. All angry and wrathful and she could feel something thrumming under her fingertips, right on her veins as she kept approaching Gabriel.

The words came to her, probably given by Tikki considering how official they were, and when she spoke her voice echoed in the room, "Gabriel Agreste, I deem you unworthy of ever holding a miraculous again. You have shown yourself to be cruel, callous, and unthinking of anyone but yourself. I brand you selfish, I brand you monster, and hear me speak your punishment. Your wife will be returned to health, but you will not see her again. You will remain in this mansion, one that you sequestered yourself away in, and it will be your prison. No one will be able to talk with you, not that they would want to as is the second part of your punishment. Your identity as Papillon will be known by the entire city of Paris, and information will spread from there. You have no one to blame but yourself. Your son will leave you and your wife will leave as well." She tilted her head down at the man, who had fallen to his knees as the pin on his tie began to glow.

He gasped, raspy and weak, but Ladybug (and she was Ladybug, a unison of her kwami and herself, she was More than mortal) continued on.

"You will feel the pain of Paris, every broken bone, every death, every bit of terror and fear, until you have felt the consequences of your action. You will suffer for the crimes you have wrought, and you will understand what you put my city through," She was floating, just a little bit, above the floor as she glared down at him, "You are a fool, Gabriel Agreste, and for this I brand you." Her hand lashed forward, grabbing Gabriel's wrist had enough to fracture. Words burns onto his arms: selfish, monster, and finally: cruel. "You ignore your son in favor of chasing after your wife, you torment a city that she loved while alive for your wife, you are foolish and cruel and stupid to think that Emilie would love you after finding out the sort of destruction you had wrought in her name?"

Gabriel had no chance to respond, not that Ladybug was expecting him to, and she reached down to rip the butterfly pin from Gabriel's tie. "As the Guardian of the Tibetan Miracle Box, I sentence you to your punishment." His eyes and the brand glowed, the pin in her hand glowed, and Ladybug felt like collapsing. But there is more to be done, and she has to do it. She's the only one who knows how, she hadn't had time to explain the Guardian language to Kagami and she had no clue what sort of state Emilie is in.

"Kuro Kishi," She spoke even as she walked to the stasis chamber, knowing that her partner would jump to attention (at a time like this, she knew that Kagami could be trusted to handle what she couldn't), "Check on Adrien, once I release my transformation the punishment will come into affect. I want someone with him when he realizes the truth about his father."

"I agree, I'll get right on that-" But she never got the chance to leave, before Gabriel (somehow in his messy state and anger and blind rage) moved to slam his hand down on a hidden button. A bolted door slammed down the only exit, and the lights dimmed overhead.

"No, you aren't." His breathing was a little labored as he moved to stand using his cane, "Not until you reverse your punishment."

Ladybug paused, head slightly tilted as her eyes narrowed at him, "You are a fool. I will not reverse your punishment, and I don't need to. We have ways of getting out of here, that you do not."

"Uh- Ladybug?" Matadorable interjected, flexing her glove covered hands, "If you want to not like- wait for Kaalki to recharge, I can bust the door down with-" She waved her hands in a one-two punch motion, her way of saying her special power without activating it.

"Ah, that's a good idea. Maybe you would want to go with Kuro Kishi to check on Adrien?" It was an offer with layers. Matadorable knew that Kuro Kishi knew her identity, she knew that Ladybug was giving her the chance to comfort her friend.

"I think...yeah," After nodded a bit to herself, Matadorable flexed her hands, "Full Throttle!" A translucent blue shield appeared in front of her, and in a movement quicker than the eye could track, she slammed through the metal door. Crumpling it like it was paper as she busted through it. Further down the hallway there were a few more noises of metal crashing as Matadorable made sure the entire way was clear.

Gabriel was stunned, eyes round and wide and staring.

"Really, Gabriel, I have an entire team with me. You can't get out of your punishment," Her voice had a little echo (Tikki's echo, she had to remind herself, not Tiye's) to it and she saw Kuro Kishi flinch. It was something to talk about, later of course when they were in their civilian forms and in her room and finally able to sob in each other's arms. Ladybug almost wanted to drop her transformation, just to finally make him pay for all that he's done.

But she can't, there was still Emilie to deal with. No matter her feelings on Gabriel, it would be cruel to leave a woman asleep and collapsed and dead to the world. She called for her Lucky charm, softly and almost silently, and it was a puzzle box. She slowly inhaled, fingers gliding across the small locks and pieces.

Being her, she could see Harvest split up further, sending half of herself towards the destroyed door. A smaller version (the original Mini-Harvest) climbed up Ladybug's arm and whispered in her ear, "I'm looking for Mayura, or hopefully just her miraculous."

Silently, she nodded in response as she continued to work over the puzzle box. As it opened, there was a small bottle inside of it. The serum (not exactly a liquid it was incredibly thick) seemed to glow from within, and Ladybug reached down to release the top. Emilie was perfectly preserved, looking just like she was asleep even though she must have been in a coma or something similar. It felt all too real, staring down at the face of Adrien's mother.

In one hand, holding something that she could save a woman with, in other she was holding a miraculous that had been used in the effort to save that same woman. It was a quick fix, she knew that. Something to keep Emilie stable until she could properly work on the healing mixture (she had seen something about it while paging through the Guardian tome) that would properly wake her up. She poured the liquid down her mouth, almost wishing that she was going to wake up and it would be magical.

She didn't. Emilie stayed asleep, but Ladybug didn't expect that. Still, it was saddening anyway to have to lift up the unconscious woman into her arms. Weather Vane was holding the glasses, Kuro Kishi must have passed them off when she left to follow Matadorable, and she held them out.

"Kaalki ate, I always keep food on me," It also had layers (Ladybug was getting tired of speaking in code), it was Weather telling her that she didn't have to reveal her identity.

But after four years of keeping it under wraps, she wanted people to know. She wanted Gabriel to know that the same designer (the same child, she was a child they were all children) that had won his Hat competition and had designed for numerous celebrities was the same hero that had beat him over and over again. Her transformation ran out of time, even as she slipped the glasses over her eyes.

Weather Vane gasped, Gabriel looked horrified, and Marinette just felt tired. Her shoulders slumped down and she felt like she was teetering on the brink of tears. Maybe it was relief, maybe it was over stimulation, maybe it was just her finally feeling like she could release all of the emotions that she had stuffed down for the past four years. It was a relief, but it was a tidewave of it. Crashing over her head and bringing her down until she felt the warm hand of Weather Vane on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's leave the ember to burn out," Her eyes were dark and angry and glaring at Gabriel.

Gabriel was curled up into a ball, making small noises (Marinette knew that she was trying to stop himself from screaming, but she didn't care). The brands on his arms were glowing brighter than the lights above, and she barely felt any pity for him. It was hard to, considering that his punishment was to feel all the pain that he had inflicted upon the city (her city). Still, he saw Emilie's body, looking better (healthier, there was a little warmth in her cheeks and her skin looked plumper) and he let out a loud wail.

"Kaalki, Full Gallop." The transformation wrapped around her (she didn't have a name, but it the time for names had left). "Voyage." She was trying to not let her voice tremble, but she saw her fingers shake as she sent the horseshoe spinning. "It's my home, Weather Vane, I'll follow you in." Again, her voice didn't shake and she was proud of herself for that. Glances were exchanged between them, and soon they were finally in Marinette's room.

Aurore hummed out, "Longg, clear skies." and then she was just Aurore. Marinette just barely had time to set Emilie down on her bed before she was wrapped up in a tight hug. Aurore pressing her face against her shoulder and sobbing, "I- it's been you. This whole time?"

"This whole time." She agreed, feeling a little numb as she mumbled out, "Dismount," just to have the magic stop surrounding her. It almost felt choking, deadly and overwhelming and she stumbled back to collapse on her chaise. Time stretched and compressed and she had no idea how much time sped by before Kuro Kishi and Alya (no longer transformed) arrived. Alya gasped, eyes going wide at the sight of her best friend, and joined the hug.

Everyone was hugging her soon enough, and Kagami also dropped her transformation. There was sobbing and shaking and screams out as they knew that they could. The information was in everyone's mind, but most people were asleep. Realizations and joy and celebrations will come tomorrow, but for tonight they can cry. They can release all of their emotions and recover from everything.

Tomorrow they would have to be heroes, they would have to suit up and explain to the city what had happened. They would have to stop people from destroying things in rage, stop people from making mistakes out of anger. They would have to be responsible and they would have to be adults. Not tonight, tonight they could just be four teenage girls who can finally feel something after so long of keeping it all down. Her parents could wake up, they always were light sleepers, but if they woke up then they would know why they were celebrating.

Marinette knew that she would tell her parents about her identity, explain away all of her disappearances and late arrivals. But that was tomorrow, that was for the morning. Right now she just had to squeeze her friends and her girlfriend as hard as she could.


End file.
